Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1896 — SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAW. MAKERS. A Week’s Proceedings In the Halls of Congress—lmportant Measures Discussed and Acted Upon—An Impartial Hesutne of the Business. The National Solon*. The House devoted Tuesday to the bill to amend the administrative tariffcact of 1890, and passed it without substantial amendment The purpose of the bill is to strengthen the act of 1890, some weak spots having been developed during the six years it has been in operation. The bill was drawn after extensive hearings, and the advice and assistance of the Treasury Department, the Board of General Appraisers, importers and others with practical experience on the subject. One of the most important changes makes increased duties and penalties for undervaluation commence at the point of undervaluation, and not at 10 per cent, above the undervaluation as provided by the present law. The House Committee on Immigration decided to favorably report two important restrictive measures introduced by Mr. McCall (Mass.) and Mr. W. A. Stone (Pa.) The Stone bill establishes as a requisite for admission to the United States that the immigrant shall be provided with a certificate from the United States Consul or other authorized representative of the United States at the place nearest his last residence that he is eligible to admission to the United States under the existing laws. The McCall bill, as amended by the committee, excludes all males between the ages of 16 and 60 who are not able to read and write English or some other language. The House Wednesday began consideration of the resolution of censure of Ambassador Bayard for his Edinburgh speech. The remarks of Mr. Cousins, of lowa, in support of the resolution were the feature of the proceedings. The Senate had in hand the public opening of the Uncompahgre Indian reservation, but nothing of importance was done.

Cuba had the entire attention of the Senate Thursday, speeches being made by Senators Gray, Chilton and Cafferty, the debate being enlivened by many spirited incidents. Mr. Cray’s plea for Cuba brought on a running cross-fire of comment and inquiry from Mr. Hale. The Delaware Senator caused much amusement by referring to Mr. Hale as “the Senator from Spain.” Mr. Davis (liep.), of Minneapolis, chairman of the Committee on Territories, reported favorably the bill to admit New Mexico to Statehood. In the House Mr. Grosvenor (Itep.), of Ohio, in reply to the remarks made by Mr. McCreary about Gen. Schenck, while minister to Great Britain, in connection with the Emma mines, and his authorship of a volume entitled “Rules of Draw Poker,” referred to Gen. Schenck’s distinguished services in times of war and peace. He could not understand the purpose of the attack. Mr. McCreary said that he had made no attack on Gen. Schenck. Mr. Grosvenor wanted to know then what the purpose was. If it was not intended to assail the memory of a dead man like a ghoul then the utterances of Mr. McCreary were idle words. In regard to the Emma mines the best proof of Gen. Schenck’s good intentions was that he himself invested large sums of money in those stocks and continued to pay the assessments to the day of his death. As to the book on draw poker he had written out a few rules of the great American game by request of a friend and had been, of course, very much chagrined when public reference to it had been made. He abused no confidence when he said that Gen. Schenck told a friend he knew just enough about poker to always lose his money. As a poker player, however, he desired to say that he died without leaving an unpaid poker debt. In conclusion, Mr. Grosvenor rehearsed Gen. Schenck’s career and paid a glowing tribute to his services in the army, in Congress and in the diplomatic service. In the Senate Friday the following bills Were passed: Fixing Ogden and Salt Lake City as the places for holding terms of the United States courts in Utah; granting a pension of SSO to the widow of the late Brigadier General Clendenin; authorizing the payment of highest grade of his rank to Rear Admiral Russell, retired; for the disposal of lands in the Fort Klamath Bay reservation, Oregon; fixing the rank and pay of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy; for a survey of the mouth of the Yukon river, Alaska. The Senate adjourned until Monday. In the House Mr. Boatner, of Louisiana, was unseated by a vote of 131 to 59 and the seat declared vacant. According to the face of the returns, Mr. Boatner had 15,520 votes and Mr. Benoit 5,994. The minority contended that the purged returns would still elect Mr. Boatner by over 5,000. A vote of censure against Ambassador Bayard was carried. An unexpected climax to the Cuban debate was reached in the Senate Monday when, on motion of Mr. Sherman, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Cuban resolutions were recommitted to the conference committee. The vote to recommit was unanimous and without the formality of a roll call, representing a general consensus of opinion that the committee should so change the resolutions as to overcome the opposition that has developed. • Messrs. Sherman, Morgan and Lodge were appointed to represent the Senate in a further conference. Simultaneously with this action Mr. Mills presented Cuban resolutions which propose to go farther than has yet been suggested. They direct the President to request Spain to grant locgl self-govern-ment to Cuba, and in case Spain refuses the President is authorized to use the military and naval forces in taking possession of Cuba and holding it until selfgovernment is established by the Cuban people. The House Committee on Elections of President and Vice-President reported favorably the bill introduced by Mr. Corliss, of Michigan, providing for the election of Senators by direct vote of the people. Some amendments of minor importance were adopted.